If that's what it takes

72

12:00am.

Derek walked down the hallway toward Meredith's room. He had just gotten off the phone with Izzie, who claimed she hadn't seen Zoey since they walked in the house. The little girl had hung up her coat, pulled off her shoes and walked directly upstairs to his bedroom where she had closed the door. She said she checked on her now and then, finding her snuggled in Derek's bed with her three stuffed friends, the pillow in her arms as she curled her body into the bed.

He looked through the labs that George had delivered to him not ten minutes earlier and turned to lean against the wall as he looked at the results. He scratched his head as he glanced to the door, his brow furrowed as he opened the door and walked inside the room. The sound of the machines was low, and he remained quiet as he continued to look through the results.

You can try to be quiet, Shepherd, but I know its you.

He had visited Meredith a little earlier that evening, helping her with her exercises, her eyes remaining closed throughout, though he knew she was in there somewhere. He talked to her about Zoey, about his family, about the surgeries that he had been involved in that week. He talked about anything he could think of, his voice soft and tender, his touch was the same.

"I bet you're thinking that I'm late...it's 12:05am... I hope you're not sleeping." Derek whispered.

Sleep through our date? No way...

"I'm not going to be able to do this alone." Derek said softly as he moved around the bed. "I am bringing in someone to help, they should be here soon, and we'll start the tests." Derek said as he grasped her hand tightly in his own.

So secretive... It's kind of sexy.

"I hope you're not scared... we're going to find out what is going on... we're going to find it and take care of it." He whispered as he watched her eyes move slightly. "Oh... so you are awake, you little sneak..." Derek said with a soft smile as he waited, watching her eyes open. She just stared into his eyes as he watched her stare back at him, her eyes were filled with anxiety as she tried to convince herself otherwise. "You're going to do great." He whispered.

What? No flowers? I thought this was a date.

She blinked slowly as he read her eyes. It took him a moment and he laughed. "It is a date..." He laughed. Its you, me... under the soft glow of the MRI and CT scanner... the sounds of the... um... x-ray filling the night time air. I can't think of anything more romantic than that." He said with a grin.

Nerd.

"Oh... oh, that hurt... right here..." Derek said as he pounded his chest lightly. "And to think that I was going to get you out of this awful room for a little while..."

It isn't a date if we have a chaperone.

"A chaperone? What...Mark? He's harmless." Derek shrugged.

He is mean.

"Oh, he's not mean... he just doesn't think before he talks. You will like him... trust me... he's a good guy..." Derek nodded as he heard the door to the room open and close behind the curtain. He waited a moment before he said anything more, to ensure that it was Mark. He glanced to Meredith and noted that her eyes were now closed. He shook his head and glanced to the person walking through the curtain. "Good, you're here." Derek said with a half smirk.

"Yeah... I'm here, what do you need?"

"A hand." Derek said as he nodded toward Meredith.

"A hand? Why do you need a hand?" Mark asked as he watched Derek's cue as he nodded toward Meredith again. "No..." Mark said with a shake of his head. "Derek, she's not supposed to be tested."